The resurrection of a basketball program does not always begin on the hardwood.

For Jim Thorpe's first year boys' head coach Grant Whary, it begins in the school hallways and in the classroom."When I was hired I found out that some of our players had issues with discipline and academics," says Whary. "So I made it clear to everyone on the team that success in basketball only happens when there is respect for authority and accomplishment in schoolwork."Whary inherits a program at Jim Thorpe that won only three games last year and hasn't had a winning season since 2010. His current group of Olympians include 10 returnees with seven seniors, several who have experienced success in other varsity sports. They also include many who play the guard position led by Alex Heydt, Bryce Micciche, Steve Principe, Deonte St. Hill, and Khaaliq Lynch."We don't have five definite starters yet and that may vary from game to game," says Whary.The Olympians lost last year's top scorer who moved to New Jersey and through practices and a scrimmage, no one appears to be the go-to guy for putting the ball in the basket."Right now scoring may be a problem," said Whary. "In our tri-scrimmage against Minersville and Pocono Mountain East, we played solid defense and showed great hustle, but we had trouble getting points."Whary, whose assistant is his father, George who has 38 years of coaching experience and is a former football star at Panther Valley High School and Kutztown University, believes his team's athleticism will dictate an up tempo offense with a quick transition game. His roster's players have good quickness and down the court speed. Defensively, Thorpe will utilize a mix of man and zone pressures."We are looking for leadership in everyone, too," says Whary, who played for the William Allen East Penn Conference and District 11 champion team in 2002. "We will have different team captains for each game. We want to build a tight team concept here. No individual is above anyone else. I tell my players that if you don't hustle or perform with less than expected effort, you will be removed from the game. There is someone else sitting on the bench who will want to take your spot on the floor."Whary realizes that he needs to build a program and not just a team. He is already taking steps to do that. He intends to visit the youth and middle school coaches and he also is going to invite these future players to participate in the drills he runs with his team in practices."My coaching style is hands-on," says Whary. "When I teach the drills I also participate, In addition, I am not a screamer, but I am enthusiastic and I am all about being positive, no matter what the score is."The rest of the Olympian roster includes senior center, Todd Lawrence, senior guard, Nick Acker, junior forwards, Shane Snisky and Dominic Pompa, junior guard, Ryan Carroll, junior center, David Everitt, sophomore forward, Rayan Green, and sophomore guard, Jordan McElmoyle."The kids have been off-season training since last May. We have also had a great reception from our Booster Club," says Whary. I am excited that everything is in place to develop a solid basketball program here at Jim Thorpe."